Democrats in the U.S. Senate appear poised to defeat legislation pushed by President Donald Trump that could have made it much harder for millions of Americans to vote.

But that's not enough. Democrats also have to win a messaging war with all voters about the so-called SAVE Act. And right now, the Republicans are winning that battle.

This debate often gets simplified to be called "voter ID," the idea that voters should have to show a valid, government-issued photo identification at polling places before casting a ballot. The U.S. Constitution dictates that states run elections. And 36 states currently have voter ID laws.

Trump couldn't care less about our Constitution. He wants to federalize elections, so he can control the outcomes. And he doesn't care if the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act makes it harder or even impossible for Americans to vote.

The SAVE Act does so much more than require identification to vote. It requires Americans to provide certain kinds of proof of citizenship to register to vote and when requesting a mail ballot.

That creates unnecessary hurdles. Women who take their husband's last name when marrying would then have identification that doesn't match their birth certificate or passports. Just 48% of Americans even have a passport. And voters in so-called red states are less likely to have passports than voters in blue states or swing states.

Voter ID laws are popular. Making it harder to vote isn't.

There is strong support in public polling for voter ID laws. Trump's White House on Feb. 10 cited two polls from........

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